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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.92
EAN num: 9780142001806
ISBN number: 0142001805
Label: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 384
Printing Date: February 25, 2003
Publishing house: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Release Date: February 25, 2003
Sale Popularity Level: 4917
Studio: Penguin (Non-Classics)
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Product Description:
In Jasper Fforde's Great Britain, circa 1985, time travel is routine, cloning is a reality (dodos are the resurrected pet of choice), and literature is taken very, very seriously. England is a virtual police state where an aunt can get lost (literally) in a Wordsworth poem and forging Byronic verse is a punishable offense. All this is business as usual for Thursday Next, renowned Special Operative in literary detection. But when someone begins kidnapping characters from works of literature and plucks Jane Eyre from the pages of Brontë's novel, Thursday is faced with the challenge of her career. Fforde's ingenious fantasy-enhanced by a Web site that re-creates the world of the novel--unites intrigue with English literature in a delightfully witty mix.
Amazon.com Review:
Penzler Pick, January 2002: When I very first heard the premise of this unique mystery, I doubted that a first-time author could pull off a complicated caper involving so many assumptions, not the least of which is a complete suspension of disbelief. Jasper Fforde is not only up to the task, he exceeds all expectations.
Imagine this. Great Britain in 1985 is close to being a police state. The Crimean War has dragged on for more than 130 years and Wales is self-governing. The only recognizable thing about this England is her citizens' enduring love of literature. And the Third Most Wanted criminal, Acheron Hades, is stealing characters from England's cherished literary heritage and holding them for ransom.
Bibliophiles will be enchanted, but not surprised, to learn that stealing a character from a book only changes that one book, but Hades has escalated his thievery. He has begun attacking the original manuscripts, thus changing all copies in print and enraging the reading public. That's why Special Operations Network has a Literary Division, and it is why one of its operatives, Thursday Next, is on the case.
Thursday is utterly delightful. She is vulnerable, smart, and, above all, literate. She has been trying to trace Hades ever since he stole Mr. Quaverley from the original manuscript of Martin Chuzzlewit and killed him. You will only remember Mr. Quaverley if you read Martin Chuzzlewit prior to 1985. But now Hades has set his sights on one of the plums of literature, Jane Eyre, and he must be stopped.
How Thursday achieves this and manages to preserve one of the great books of the Western canon makes for delightfully hilarious reading. You do not have to be an English major to be pulled into this story. You'll be rooting for Thursday, Jane, Mr. Rochester--and a familiar ending. --Otto Penzler
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Rated by buyers 
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I love to read and I love to laugh. This book was more fun than anything I've read in years. Very witty and surprising and fun. Highly recommend.
Rated by buyers -
Reader, I loved it. I was sick in bed when I read it and I spent a whole flu-sodden day obsessively reading it, and I was so so sorry when it was over. I was also sorry that the alternate universe didn't really insist because I wanted to go to the Rocky-Horror style showings of Richard the III. Most of all, I wanted to walk around in Jane Eyre.
I really had my doubts about Jasper Fforde. Some of my friends really loved his Thursday Next novels. Some of my friends write sermons of irritation about his Thursday Next novels. I rather dimly thought that I would find them too precious, but I have to stress that I did not really know what the books were about.
What is it about? Well. The Crimean War is still raging in 1980s England. A disaffected book detective gets a message from her future self that leads her into an evil plot to attack beloved national classic literature. True love is at risk. Japanese tour guides lead trips into major Victorian novels. Nothing that I can tell you about the plot is really going to do the book justice. My advice would be that if you plan to read it, relax and do not worry too much about what is going on. Just read, and see what happens.
I really enjoyed The Eyre Affair but I am guessing that this book may not be for everyone. It requires a tolerance for broad pop culture puns that involve literary allusions. If you're easily tripped up by the details, you won't like this as much as I did-- I closed my eyes and let the energy carry me. I suspect that if I stopped too long to think about the all the details, then some of it would fall quite flat. Finally, I get the feeling that many pick this up imagining one of these Jane Austen sequel-type books or a literary cozy detective novel. Nothing could be further from the truth.
So who is the ideal audience? A bookish middle-aged fangirl with a sweet tooth for classic literature, science fiction and the movies and who can laugh at any good literary cliche if you spice it up with werewolves. In other words-- me. Your mileage may vary. Give it a try and see for yourself.
Rated by buyers -
I read this book in 2003 when it very first came out and was just mesmerized by such a fresh voice and one so bold and confident in a very first time novelist. Suffice it to say that I have read all of Jasper Fforde's works and now, having reread this wonderful book I finally get around to a review!
What you need to know is that you are in the hands of a maestro, a master of the ink and quill. If you are not sure you will like the book's premise or you find it too childlike or unbelievable - read this book anyway and be prepared for Mr. Fforde to take you on a journey into a world that you never knew existed and after having discovered it, you will be in no doubt as to its veracity.
To say that this book is a comedy is to mislabel it for it is so much more. It is a drama and a suspense, a fantasy and a sci-fi. Indeed I would say that The Eyre Affair is genre busting novel and well worth your time and money.
Try it, you can't possibly be disappointed, in all the thousands of books that I have read, Jasper Fforde is the freshest voice that I have read in at least a decade.
Rated by buyers -
The book is funny and imaginative, but I thought it was somewhat trivial. I did not intend to even finish it, but it is addictive. Before I knew it, I had finished the book and the whole series. So I guess it was better than I thought.
Rated by buyers -
This book is a very interesting concept - nearly modern policing meets classic British literature. It's a fantasy world, so nothing reflects reality as we experience it today. While it was entertaining, I think the book is slightly more convoluted than necessary, and it bogs down in a few places. Definitely worth a read.
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